if u are a local, sure. but its almost double if u need to add gas, flights, and hotels to do rounds on the other side of the country. Im in CA and spent ~$5000 for Barber, including flying in only 1 crew and paying for their room and food. someone from AL trying to run Sonoma would run about the same.[/QUOTE] Good point! We were able to do 5 rounds this year, Rd Atlanta, VIR, Rd America, Pitt and Barber. All tracks we can drive to in a day. Hope to be able to do the west coast some day if our funds and logistical support increase.
Or, literally, everything else like building a competitive motorcycle, to say the least. I would LOVE IT if one of the qualifications to get a "pro" license was to win X amount of qualifying club races on like equipment. Or, even better, a championship. Instead the pro races are cannibalizing the club ranks which may work for now, but will mean that, eventually, winter is coming.
if I had the $$ to race MA and WERA at the same time, I would. I felt kinda bad only doing 1 WERA event this year. I don't even have a license right now. but things just didnt work out. id have done 3-4 club races this year if it weren't for technical problems, crashes/injuries, and some things about the schedule. but I could fight for the C & B titles and can regularly win, so id probably pass your hypothetical qualification. Andrew Lee is doing everything the right way. IIRC hes at 3 titles in a row - AFM, CVMA, and MA STK1000. thats a lot of quality riding and it shows. of course, no one would complain if he skipped club and only raced MA.
Based on what you just posted, you're a prime candidate for racing club races. Andrew Lee's options for next season (and I'll fully disclose that I know absolutely nothing about him aside from the results) include him paying for his own racing again. There are no more rides. The bench racing part of your post only holds weight if you do the thing. And please understand I'm not cutting down your efforts. My only intention is to see club racing get theirs and pro racing get better as a result.
Your gonna spend that money whether you race club or pro. You must like watching pro races with 10 bikes in it. Lol
I'd rather watch 10 fast guys racing than a bunch of club-level filler. If you're paying to be there, you're not a professional.